Hi All,
Now (June-September) is a very busy time for me as I will be sewing sleeves, getting pairings, collecting at lights, putting out and shipping eggs, answering questions, changing caterpillars, catching butterflies, doing some photography and preparing and tending to a new fruit and vegetable garden. I also ref soccer games and my new grandson is coming for a visit in July. Good job I'm retired.
I may not always get to posting images and sightings right away, but will try to keep up on a monthly basis. Many new images and useful information arrives on a regular basis, and that is great! Thankyou very much.
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In early June I received a shipment of papered Saturniidae from Cameroon, Africa. Philippe Darge helped me with many identifications. I sent notice to those who indicated interest in dried specimens and have been filling orders one at a time.
I have some specimens of Epiphora albida ($8.00), E. ploetzi, E. vacuna, Nuduarelia dione, Orthogonioptilum (dark, light and red-brown) and Dactylocera lucina (Brahmaeidae) still available, all at $3.50 U.S./specimen (priced to clear) plus shipping. There is also still one Pseudobunaea alinda and one Aurivillius triramis, also at $3.50. Quality of specimens can be seen at http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/prCameroonsats.htm
Serious inquiries only, please. pretty much everything is sold out except what is mentioned above. Enquire first, as remaining specimens will probably sell quickly. No minimum order on the remaining stock. Shipping in the $8.00- $12.00 range depending on destination.
I also have possibility of bringing in lots from Madagascar and Belgian Congo. Processing the requests takes time as some items quickly sell out and I have to modify what is available, waiting for one reply to come back before I deal with the next request.
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Special request: Occasionally I receive requests from members for specific information that I do not have. Several times I have been requested to post wingspans with descriptions of individual species.
Johnny Marchant recently requested that info for the Brahmaeidae family. If any of you can help, please forward info to me.
By wingspan I mean distance from forewing apex to forewing apex with moth in spread position, inner margin perpendicular to the body. Another measurement that is useful is forewing length (distance along costa from body to forewing apex).
Male and female measurements are probably different and should be kept separate. If you have a series of specimens, then wingspan should reflect smallest to largest wingspan as for imaginary Cosperata ferinastria: (wingspan: males: 48-57mm; females 61-68mm).
I am especially interested in working with African and Asian species at this time.
Alan Marson has indicated he will be taking and forwarding measurements of the moths he is rearing.
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Below are dates that I have taken cocoons out of cold storage this season. It has been relatively cold, and as of June 14, there have only been a few nights warm enough (above 47 F) for much of anything to be flying here. June 19 got down to 6 C, 43 F.
May 10, two Antheraea polyphemus males emerged June 5-6
May 15, two Antheraea polyphemus female emerged June 9, 11, 15 (two from May 18 takeout)
(June 11 eclosion mated on June 15, cool temps and cold, rainy nights
probably delayed egg dump
and two Actias luna
male emerged June 9, another on June 16
May 18, seven Antheraea polyphemus several
females have emerged and paired week of
June 13-19 and five Actias luna
two females and a male emerged June 17-19, too cool
for pairings;
all S.c. and all A.i.
May 21, two A. p., two A. l.and two H. cecropia.
May 25, ten birch luna, eight sumac luna, fifteen cecropia,
twenty polyphemus, eight columbia.
Our weather has been cool and wet (still as of May 25) so I am trying
to time eclosions starting in early June and running throughout the
month of June into early July for cecropia. This also spreads out my
rearing season so that I do not have thousands of fifth instar larvae
that all need tending at the same time. I will probably take out
remaining cocoons on the 27th. Done: ten cecropia, six columbia,
two polyphemus, two luna.
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Bernhard Wenczel recently sent me images of Automeris praemargaritae pair, Venezuela; Automeris ahuitzotli male, Oaxaca, Mexico; Automeris andicola male; Automeris rostralis male; Automeris rougeoti male.
These five species were not previously depicted on WLSS.
Bernard has also offered a correction to the Automeris micheneri file. The female depicted there is of Automeris chacona. I will move it shortly to the A. chacona file end of June.
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Eurides Furtado (May 22) sent me images of a spread male and a spread female Callodirphia arpi. Eurides also sent data and information. This species was not previously depicted on WLSS. Images are up.
Eurides sent me photos, which I have scanned and posted, of Paradaemonia thelia from southeastern Brazil. The larvae and female were not previously depicted on WLSS.
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Stefan Naumann has sent me a revision of an Eric van Schayck moth originally determined as L. damartis. Stefan indicates it is Loepa miranda taipeishanis, Mell (1938). I have created a new file and moved the image to that file. The moth is from Gansu, China.
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Alan Marson has recently sent me images of first, second, third and fifth and sixth (A. caesar) instar larvae of Attacus caesar and Antheraea frithi and first-third instars of Cricula vietnama. Images have been posted or wil shortly be posted to respective files (very interesting observation about A. frithi larvae on different hosts, posted to frithi file).
Alan has been busy! He also sent me great images of mature larva and cocoons of Loepa obsuromarginata.
Alan has also sent an image of an Antheraea roylei larva, and he has forwarded with Tony Pittaway's permission some great images of Brahmaea certhia.
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Julian Renner, son of Franz Renner, has recently sent me larval images of Loepa miranda, Loepa obscuromarginata and Loepa microocellata. All have been uploaded to the individual species files. The Loepa microocellata larva image is new to the WLSS.
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Thibaud Decaens has sent a beautiful image of Attacus caesar, uploaded to his collection, and an image of an Eacles imperialis opaca larva, not previously depicted. The image has been added to the Thibaud Decaens Collection and to the individual species file.
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Tim Dyson sent me a stunning image of a live Dryocampa rubicunda male with wings spread. I have posted it to the individual species file and to the Photography section. Tim also sent an image of form alba, posted to individual species files.
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Dominique Ades sent me an image of a fourth instar hybrid between Graellsia isabellae and Actias dubernardi. To me knowledge this hybrid has not been brought to maturity as yet. Dominique had also sent a drawing predicting the colouration and patterning of adults. Good luck to Dominique. It will be most interesting to see the accuracy of his prediction. Images are posted to the hybrid section.
Dominique is working as part of a team of six individuals: Dominique Adés, Robert Lemaitre, Robert Vuattoux, Raymond Cocault, Robert Zaun and Steve Kohll. From four hybrid matings all six men have received eggs and are rearing larvae.
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Robert Lemaitre has sent images of hybrid larvae, 2nd and 3rd instars of G. isabellae x A. sinensis, posted to the hybrid section.
Bob has also sent images of Dirphia fraterna larva, instars 2-5, posted to the individual species file.
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Non-member Summer Ryant sent me an image of a male Antheraea polyphemus May 22, from Green Lake county, in the city of Berlin. I have added the sighting to the map.
Member John Beck reports wild luna flying in Randolph County, southern Illinois, May 22.
Member Taylor Jones reports a cecropia pairing (Staten Island, New York) with a wild male, May 22, 2005.
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Howard Grisham writes, "I have for trade a decent “starter collection” of identified non-North American Saturnids, all spread and generally in “A” condition. 256 species, plus a few sub-species; 400 specimens; also, an additional 16 unidentified spread specimens. I would like to trade these for “better” US Leps, worldwide Papilios, and/or identified worldwide scarabs. List available upon request."
Howard Grisham
573 Ohatchee Road
Huntsville, AL 35811
chgrisham@comcast.net
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Membership: To make the WLSS more secure, I will probably soon (not yet) be converting to a login/password system for access to WLSS. Members will be advised when this goes into effect so that login and passwords can be assigned/selected/recorded. There are currently over 400 members worldwide and over 100 of them have been given gift memberships by myself for their major contributions of images and information. I have no problem extending the complimentary memberships to advanced Saturnidae/Sphingidae enthusiasts who wish to help develop the site with images and information (identification help, foodplants, flight times, distribution data). If you know of anyone who might wish to contribute in this manner, please have them contact me so they can be included when the login/password goes into effect.
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Hostplant images wanted. I am looking for high quality electronic images of Saturniidae host plant foliage. I will begin to create files with foodplant images, linked from the scientific names of the host plants on the various species files.
This will also be done for the butterflies on Caterpillars Too!
John Campbell of Georgia has offered to help with this project so soon many of the host plant names will be linked to id/picture pages. John has indicated he has already acquired over 150 images for us.
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Sphingidae Express
Request for help:
Many of you do collecting or sampling at night. I am very interested in compiling county by county (U.S. and Canada) checklists for Sphingidae as per those at
http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/waLincolnsph.htm for Lincoln County, WA
http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/orYamhillsph.htm for Yamhill County, OR
http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/massEssexsph.htm for Essex County, MA
http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/scClarendonsph.htm for Clarendon County, SC
All of the Oregon Counties are now up and a couple from New York.
Credit will be given for all sighting reports, dedications for all extensive reports.
I've also posted a couple of California counties: San Benito, Ventura and Los Angeles.
Member Tim Dyson sent me images of Deidamia inscriptum May 25, from Peterborough, Ontario. Tim camera captured the moth with wings open just as it was about to land on the sheet.
Tim has also reported and sent beautiful images of (posted to Sphingidae site) Ceratomia amyntor, Ceratomia undulosa, Smerinthus cerisyi, Pachysphinx modesta, Paonias myops, Darapsa choerilus, Darapsa myron, Sphinx kalmiae, Sphinx canadensis, Sphinx drupiferarum, Sphinx chersis, Hyles gallii and Smerinthus jamaicensis. Wow! Tim is taking the time to get shots of the undersides of these moths as well.
Non-member Sandy Grant reports (confirmed with image) a Ceratomia amyntor from London, Ontario, Sunday, May 29.
Non-member Sherleen Smithson sent me a beautiful image of a Sphecodina abbottii larva from Ottawa region of Ontario, Canada. See Ontario Sphingidae section.
On P.E.I. I have seen (males only so far June 8-11, cold June 12-14) Darapsa choerilus, Pachysphinx modesta, Smerinthus cerisyi and Smerinthus jamaicensis.
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At the request of some members I am posting a "BAD TRADERS" report. It can be accessed from the main page of the WLSS.
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Please check the Members' Wish list periodically and help when you can.
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Catocala Capers
I have posted Oregon and Washington checklists, soon to be linked from the Main Catocala Index.
Tim Dyson has sent me images (posted) of Catocala coelebs, concumbens and relicta larva, hatched from overwintered eggs which I sent to him last fall.
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I have been steadily pecking away at checklists for states of Mexico, but it will probably be several months before I have all the Hemileucinae completed.
If you wish to help or want to watch development, the states' checklists can be accessed from the Mexico file.
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I'm making steady progress on Caterpillars Too!, a North American butterfly website featuring caterpillars as well as the adult butterflies. I will add as many hostplant images to this site as I can find. Pussytoes for Painted Ladies just uploaded.
This is also a private membership site. The one-time-life-time registration is $20.00 U.S. for the rest of 2005. January 2006 will see a registration fee increase.
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